High Efficiency, High Output Plastic Melt Waste Compactor (HEHO-PMWC)

The HEHO-PWMC will be a valuable system for commercial space vehicles and modules. A system that reduces waste volume, recovers water, and creates a useful byproduct can be a boon for commercial aerospace companies trying to reduce overall mission costs. The benefits of HEHO-PMWC are immediately known for LEO destination providers such as Bigelow Aerospace. With inflatables, no inherent radiation shielding is present on the outside diameter of the module; so radiation shielding (i.e., water) must be added post-inflation. The HEHO-PMWC would reduce the amount of water that must be launched by producing radiation tiles from trash. The PMWC could produce enough tiles to shield the entire module in less than a year. The recovered water could also function as a radiation barrier. The HEHO-PMWC would provide an effective and efficient waste management system, provide necessary radiation shielding products, assist in maintaining a clean environment, and minimize launch costs.

The primary NASA application of this technology is for any long-duration human spaceflight mission, including microgravity and planetary surface operations. Besides the primary benefits of the HEHO-PMWC, which include waste volume reduction and water recovery, secondary benefits include additional health benefits from completely encapsulating the final compacted waste product, ultimately deterring microbial elements from entering the breathable airstream, and the plastic tile byproduct, which is high in polyethylene, can be used as an effective radiation barrier. The conceptual design for the Phase II was designed for implementation on the ISS, but the design can be easily modified for various waste model loads and mission architectures. More »